Wire take-up reel



March 4, 1947.

S. A. MOORE WIRE TAKE-UP REEL Filed NOV. .4, 1944 Sidne .ZLMUUFE Q Patented Mar. 4, 1947 WIRE TAKE -UP REEL Sidney A. Moore, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to The Prime Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application November 4, 1944, Serial No. 561,885

3 Claims.

This invention relates to fences and refers particularly to tightening device for tightening the wires of electric fences.

The advantages of electric fencing are not fully real zed unless the fence wire is so strung that it may be quickly taken down and put up to enable different sections of the farmers fields to be quickly fenced. One of the deterrents to taking down a fence wire and putting it up somewhere else is the diiiiculty that has been experienced in drawing the wire taut.

I is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simpe inexpensive fence wire tightener that may be permanently attached to a fence post or other support and by which a wire to be con-- nected with the fence post or support may be quickly attached and drawn taut.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fence tightening device of the character described which embodies in the construction thereof a simple, sturdy insulator so mounted as to satisfactorily electrically insulate the entire tigh ening device and a fence wire attached thereto from the post or other support.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tightening device of the character described which may be formed of inexpensive sheet metal stampings.

A further object of this invention is to provide device of the character described which is surficiently rugged to withstand the hard usage to which equipment of this type is subjected.

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined bv the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as. come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a tightening device embodying thi invention and illustrating the manner of using the same;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tightening device per se;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken through Figure 2 on the plane of the line 3-3, but showing only one side of the tightening device; and

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the tightening device.

Referring now particu arly to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates a fence post or other support with which a fence wire 5 is to be connected. To enable such connection and at the same time electrically insulate the fence wire from the post and provide means for drawing the wire taut, a tightening device indicated generally by the numeral 1 is supplied. This device comprises two identical stamping-s 8 each of which has parallel offset end portions 9 and it] joined by a diagonal medial portion ll. These two stampings are arranged opposite each other with a spool insulator l2 disposed between their end portions 8.

The end portions 9 and the spool insulator have aligned holes through which a bolt 13 passes to tie these parts together. The opposite ends 13 of the stampings have aligned holes M which provide bearings for the reception of trunnions I5 on the opposite ends of a spool reel !6. The stampings, which may be considered two spaced arms, are preferably reinforced by beads I! pressed therein and extending from the apertures M around the bends 3B and into the diagonal portions H.

The spool reel l6 may be formed of stampings suitably welded together or may be cast, but in any event at least one of its flanges 99 has ratchet teeth 2!! and its barrel portion 2| has an aperture 22 into which the end of the wire is inserted to insure the same being wrapped around the barrel as the spool is turned.

A polygonal extension 28 on one end of the spool provides for the attachment of a crank or other handle for tightening the wire, the spool retained in an adjusted position by a pawl 25. The pawl 25 has ears 2'! projecting from opposite sides thereof adjacent to its back edge, and these cars are loosely received in holes in the stamped arms to pivotally mount the pawl, with the free end thereof engageable with the ratchet teeth. Where both flanges of the reel have such teeth the pawl extends across the full distance between the arms to simultaneously engage the teeth of both flanges.

The free end of the pawl has a marginal flange or lip to stiffen the pawl and also provide a handle portion by which the pawl may be lifted after the load of the wire tension is relieved by the crank 24.

Although the bolt i3, in conjunction with the trunnions on the spool reel, holds the arms, it is 35 preferable to rigidly connect the same by means of a tie wall 25-} which spans the distance between the arms just outwardly of the bend l8. Tangs 36 on the ends of this tie wall pass through apertures in the stamped arms and are struck over as shown to hold the parts assembled.

The manner of using the tightening device is clearly shown in Figure 1. As here illustrated, a wire 3i looped around the spool insulator permanently attaches the device to the fence post or other support a 50 that the fence wire 6 may be quickly secured by mereiy inserting its free end into the aperture 22 and turning the spool reel until the wire is taut.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention provides a simple, inexpensive and practical tightening device especially well adapted for tightening the fence wires of electric fences.

What I claim as my invention is:

i. In a take-up reel of the character described: a frame including a pair of opposed arms; an insulator positioned between the arms at one end thereof to hold the arms spaced apart; a bolt {r passing through aligned holes in the insulator and the arms for holding the same connected with the insulator; plate connected between the rms at a medial portion thereof and lying in a full width of the arms; tangs projecting from points adjacent to the opposite extremities of said ends of the plate passing through suitable apertures in each of the arms so as to rigidly hold the arms against turning on the bolt connecting the arms with the insulator; bearings on the arms aligning on an axis parallel to said plate but at the side thereof opposite the insulator; a reel disposed between the arms and having trunnion portions received in said bearings whereby the reel is rotatably supported between the arms; a ratchet fixed with respect to the reel to rotate therewith; a pawl pivotally mounted between the arms and engageable with the ratchet teeth; and means for turning the reel.

'2. In a take-up reel of the character described: a frame including a pair of opposed identical stamped arms; a spool type insulator positioned between arms at one end thereof to hold the spaced apart; a bolt passing through aligned holes in the insulator and the arms for holding the arms connected with the insulator; bearings on the arms aligning on an axis parallel to the bolt axis but at the opposite end of the arms; a reel disposed between the arms and having trunnion portions received in said bearings whereby the reel is rotatably supported from the frame between. said arms; a stamped plate bridgparallel to said bolt and with its ends exing the space between the arms substantially medially between the bolt and reel axes and lying in a plane parallel to said axes but with its ends extending crosswise of and abutting against each arm, said plate having a width substantially equal to the width of the arms so that the ends of the plate bear against substantially the full width of the arms; tangs projecting from points adjacent to the opposite extremities of said ends of the plate and passing through suitable apertures in each of the arms so as to rigidly hold the arms against turning on the bolt axis to thereby assure free rotation of the reel in the use of the device; a ratchet on the reel; a pawl pivotally mounted between the arms and engageable with the ratchet teeth; and means for turning the reel,

3. In a take-up reel of the character described: a frame including a pair of opposed arms, and a separator wall connected between the arms substantially medially of their ends to hold the same spaced apart; an insulator positioned between the arms at one end thereof and cooperating with said wall to hold th arms in spaced parallel relationship; a b .t passing through aligned holes in the insulator and the arms for holding the arms connected with the insulator, said bolt cooperating with said separator wall to rigidly maintain the arms against rotation on the axis of the bolt; a reel between said arms at the side of said wall opposite the insulator and journalled for rotation from said arms on an axis substantially parallel to thebolt axis; ratchets on opposite ends of the reel and adjacent to the inner sides of the arms; a pawl engageable With the ratchet teeth and comprising a stamped plate pivotally connected with said arms at a point remote from the reel and near said separator wall with the free edge of the plate cooperating with the teeth of the ratchet at one side of the plane passing through the axes of the bolt and reel to prevent rotation of the reel in one direction; a reinforcing flange bent from said free edge of the ratchet plate in a direction away from the reel so as to provide a tab by which the pawl may be manually disengaged from the ratchet teeth; and means for turning the reel.

SIDNEY A. MOORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,206,019 Moore Nov. 28, 1916 524,282 McTighe 1- Aug. '7, 18% 1,205,281 'Sorensen Nov. 21, 1916 1,926,101 Johnston Sept. 12, 1933 1,689,6Si5 Fitrombach W Oct. 30, 1928 

